Matthew Croft Email & Phone Number

Reading, Gb

London, England, United Kingdom

Finance Integration Lead on YouGov's €315m acquisition of GfK's European Consumer Panel Services business - YouGov's largest acquisition to date.Interim support on pre-deal carve out activity (tax structuring, legal, treasury, TSAs) and on post deal Finance integration work.https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/yougov/news/rns/story/xq8117xhttps://polaris.brighterir.com/public/yougov/news/rns/story/x44yokx

Provision of interim IT Finance and Change consultancy services to CFOs, CIOs and CTOs

London, England, United Kingdom

$30m global carve-out programme to legally and operationally separate Kantar Media business. Kantar is a leading data, insights and consulting company, operating in 90 countries – Private Equity owned (Bain Capital).Reporting to UK & Global Product FD, responsible for managing Finance & Legal programme activity to deliver Q1 2023 separation.

Leading reset of high profile Technology programme at FTSE 100 insurer. Programme delivers a transformed desktop and collaboration experience to the Phoenix Group, with a focus on deploying Microsoft 365 applications. Responsible for managing multiple technology partners and working with stakeholders across the 3 Phoenix Group businesses - Standard Life, ReAssure and legacy Phoenix.

Holborn, London

Reporting to Group CIO, provided consulting expertise to transform IT financial capability in major transport provider and to support divestment programme from German parent, via IPO or trade sale. • Trusted Finance Partner – established collaborative relationships with CIO and her Leadership Team, raising credibility of Technology area across Arriva by quickly embedding best practice IT Finance disciplines. Provided commercial input to rapidly identify and size IT cost savings, supporting Group FD in preserving cash when COVID impacted transport sector. Produced cost analysis to support trade sale discussions, meeting with private equity buyers and advisors.• Implemented New Chargeback Model – oversaw build of IT shared services recharge model. Led briefing dialogue with customer CxOs to explain allocation approach - successfully managed robust challenge on recharge changes. Positive feedback from CxOs on transparency provided, equipping them with levers to control IT service consumption and cost. • SAP S/4 Hana and AWS QuickSight Programmes – development of business cases and supporting cashflows to obtain Board approval for two agile-delivered programmes (£30m). Provided challenge and advice to CIO & programme teams. • Improved Finance Control & Capability – used IT Finance experience to expose and correct sources of accounting issues (project income under-recovery, incorrect asset treatment, etc), brokering resolution with European CxO stakeholders. Tapped into network to source new staff for Finance team and supported recruitment of permanent Head of Finance.

London, United Kingdom

Core CIO Team member, responsible for financial and strategic support to new Enterprise Technology area - £250m spend. • Led IT Cost Demerger Work - consolidated 3 IT areas into single Technology cost base, managing political and ambiguous environment to agree and assign target savings for divested M&G plc. Supported demerger workstream from Prudential group, advising on service company structure, staff TUPE, pension impacts, asset transfers and IT contract commercials. • Transformation Strategy - partnered with new CIO to develop strategy and business case for future IT operating model. Engaged and directed ISG Benchmarking to provide comparison to industry peers. Strategy focused on increasing agile delivery, improving service performance, and optimising IT cost base via application rationalisation, automation, and selective outsourcing. Secured PLC investment approval and set up robust programme benefits tracking. Advisory Board member for annual Gartner IT Financial and Procurement conference

London, United Kingdom

CFO, Board and Audit Committee member of Prudential plc IT shared service business unit. • Executed Transformation Programme - partnered with new, external CEO to devise and deliver strategy to transform PGDS. Programme covered (1) Outsource of hosting and networks, (2) Modernisation of end user services, (3) Streamline and Upskilling of remaining organisation. Prinicipal Executive on £450m outsource deal, leading commercial delivery on contract. Set up Vendor Management Office capability to manage outsource. • Executive Leadership - devised set of Performance Priorities to communicate and manage PGDS performance and bonus reward. Ran newly formed PGDS Board meetings at which reviewed Priorities status with COOs from 3 main customer business units. • Introduced Service Line Pricing - implemented Apptio to bring transparency into drivers behind technology recharging. Changed focus from ‘IT is too expensive’ to balanced debate on Price (Technology costs) and Quantity (business consumption). Worked with COOs to proactively help business units drive behavioural change in technology adoption and rationalisation.• In charge of all Finance processes including compilation and agreement of annual Strategic Plan to GHO. Director responsible for signing PGDS statutory accounts.

Led multidiscplinary team of 70 across 4 sites in UK and India. Responsible for Finance Systems, Fund Accounting, Accounts Payable, Actuarial Modelling & Data. IFRS 17 – UK lead for initial ‘Assess’ phase of Plc programme to prepare Prudential for demanding new insurance accounting rules. Worked with PWC to interpret IASB material and delivered an impact assessment to Group to identify and size the required changes to data, systems and models (£40-50m).

Reporting to UK & Europe CFO, led for Finance on major change programmes. Included leading on Solvency II Pillar 3 disclosure regime and managing UK aspects of Prudential Group programme to introduce a Hyperion Financial Management consolidation system.Responsible for all Finance systems strategy, support and development. Introduced several new applications to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Finance processes, including Qlikview and Anaplan.In charge of Financial Controls, with accountability for Sarbanes Oxley testing programme, reporting quarterly to UK Audit Committee.

Responsible for all Finance systems strategy, support and development - covering general ledger, MI reporting, analytics, forecasting, cost allocation and reconciliation systems.Played key role in large scale Finance transformation programme to offshore 80 transactional roles, including providing extensive training programme in Mumbai on systems and processes. Additionally created offshore capability to support Finance Systems.

Responsible for delivery of a strategy to radically improve the production and use of financial management information following merger of 5 Prudential business units. Led selection and implementation of Cognos Planning. Significantly reduced length and resources involved in forecasting process. Drove expansion of Cognos into sales and profitability forecasting. Cognos recognised project success by awarding Prudential their top customer honour in 2004.Selected and implemented Business Objects for MI reporting. Managed development of a Finance Data Mart by WIPRO - provided a centralised data repository for all Finance MI.

Worked on strategy initiatives, market research and liaison with Group Head Office.

Ba Hons, Economics, 2:1

Education record

Impact programme - curated by LSE, a Prudential Plc group-wide programme designed to develop a future cadre of senior executives..

Education record

Agility Programme - a Prudential plc global leadership programme designed for the development of potential C Level candidates.